Cloth-measuring machine



(No Model.)

v I M. N. JONES.

CLOTH MEASURING MACHINE.

Patented Dec. 30, 1890. v

Wz'Znes'sfeS a h n figg /m/ UNITED STATES PATENT EErcE.

MARSHALL NEY JONES, OF ABILENE, KANSAS.

CLOTH-MEASURING MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 443,528, dated December 30, 1890.

I Application filed January 25, 1890- Serial No. 338,133. (No model.)

To whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MARSHALL NEY Jones, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Abilene, in the county of Dickinson and State of Kansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cloth-Measuring Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings and the letters of reference thereon, forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the machine as it would appearinclosed by its case, having portions broken away to show portions of the mechanism within the case. Fig. 2 is a vertical central longitudinal sectional view of the machine-frame and its pedestal and of the case thereof, and a face view of the rolls, the gears, and index-wheels, portions of which are broken away to more clearly showtheir construction and bearing. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the same on line 2 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detailed perspective view of the index mechanism of the machine. Fig. 5 is a broken-away detailed View of said index mechanism, taken on line 1, 'Fig. 2, looking down, portions of which are broken away to show its construction within the periphery of the index-wheels. Fig. 6 is a face plan view of a plate of the index mechanism of the machine. Fig. 7 is an end plan view of the measuring-rolls of the machine. Fig. 8 is a perspective View of the frame for supporting the machine mechanism and a portion of the pedestal thereof, and Fig. 9 is a detailed plan view showing the spring-latch and a portion of one of the index-wheels of the machine.

This invention relates to certain improvements in cloth-measuring machines of a character adapting it to be used in stores by salesmen for measuring goods when sold or for measuring when invoicing goods; and it consists of a pair of rolls mounted on a frame having a supporting-pedestal, one of which rolls is yieldingly held to bear against its fellow roll, and between which rolls the margin of the cloth is drawn, rotating the rolls by frictional contact of the advancing cloth, of an index mechanism connected with and operated by oneof the roll-shafts through the medium of gears which register the number of inches and yards of cloth passed between the rolls, and of a case for inclosing said mechanism, which is secured to the pedestal and is provided with a face or side slot on a line parallel with the meeting faces of the rolls for the entrance of the cloth-margin to the rolls, with openings adjacent the index mechanism, through which the figures indicating the number of inches and yards of cloth measured may be read, and with a blade and cutting-block at the side slot for starting the cut of cloth at the end of each measurement,

when so desired, the construct-ion and operation of which are fully set forth and explained in the specificationfollowing.

Referring to the drawings, A is the pedestal having portions A, which are not covered by the case, which are provided with screw-holes, through which screws are turned for securing the machine to a store-counter or other suitable place. B is a column of said pedestal, and is provided with bearings for supporting the operating mechanism of the machine adjacent thereto, and with the yoke B, having an extended bearing for supporting the outer end of the upper roll-shaft. B? is a shorter column of said pedestal, arranged below the bearing of yoke B, for supporting the outer end of the lower roll-shaft. R and R are the measuring-rolls supported by their shafts by means of said columns, as shown in Fig. 2, the shaft of the upper roll having fixed to or on its inner end adjacent column B the spur'gear G, which meshes with and drives the gear G below it, which is also supported adjacent the column by means of a short shaft to in one of the column-bearings, which shaft is provided with a central annular groove, as shown in Fig. 2, into which a screw may be turned from the outer part of the column, as shown at V", Fig. 8, for the purpose ofholding the shaft seated and not prevent its rotation. The columns B B below the lower roll-shaft are bored or otherwise hollowed to receive coil-springs, as shown at g g, Fig. 2, which springs yieldingly support the shaft and its roll B through the medium of the bearingblocks L L, as shown, permitting said roll-shaft a limited vertical movement in the slots 0 and 0' of the respective columns B and B g g are screw-plugs turned into the lower part of the chambers holding said springs, and serve ICO as a means for supporting and retaining the springs.

T is a shaft supported at one end in the upper bearing of column B, and at its ep- 5 posite end by means of a post I from the pedestal, and has fixed thereon the index-wheel (7, which bears the figures ranging from O to 36, indicating inches, and also the spiral spring S, the outer end of which is secured IO to the pedestal, as shown in Fig. 3, and sleeved upon said shaft between wheel (7 and spring S is the index-wheel (1, bearing lig-' ures ranging from to 36, indicating yards.

The index-wheel (Z is provided on its side adjacent the gears G I with annular gearteeth, which mesh with and are driven to rotate the wheel by the gear-wheel G", which is constructed as a part. of wheel G, thus making said wheel double-faced with its toothed 2o portions of different diameters. The side of the rim of said wheel (I is provided with a series of ratchet-teeth 2, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and at, which when rotated are engaged in consecutive order by a spring-latch, as shown at V V in Fig. 1, for the purpose ot' holding the wheel and shaft T from return rotation, from the in liuence of thetension of spring t" after any certain measurement has been made; but when it is desired to permit spring S to return by a reverse rotation the wheel to its original starting-point the thumb-button of latch Y may be pressed, thereby compressing its spring Y, and thus raise and disengage its end from engagement with the said 3 5 ratchets.

The index-wheel d is provided on its side facing wheel (I and a distance within its rim with an annular series of teeth J, which teeth are shielded by means of the stationary plate 0 l, excepting those portions of said teeth which are in their respective order as the wheel is rotated exposed at the recess P at the top of said plate. T is a hole in the said plate, through which the shaft passes, and as a 5 means of holding the plate stationary it is provided with a foot, as shown in Figs. 2, and 4, which rests upon and is secured to the pedestal.

I is an arm pivot-ally secured between a pair of side extending ears of index-wheel (Z and is arranged to extend at its outer end, adapting it to engage the teeth J of wheel (7, through the recess 1 of: plate I, and is made yielding by means of the coil-springs f f,

which are arranged in a recess of wheel (1 and bear against the inner end of said arm I", one at each side, the tendency of which is to hold the arm at a right angle from the side of wheel (I, but permit the said arm to be forced to one side in either direction, which will be the result when wheel (Z is rotated to carry the arm from recess P. The purpose of said arm is to rotate wheel d one point, indicating one yard, at each rotation of wheel (Z, and the numher of teeth J of wheel at correspond with the number of yard-points of the wheel, so that it is necessary to engage but one teeth .I at each turn ol wheel (I, which is done as follows: When arm P is being carried on its circuit from recess P" of plate 1, it is forced to one side, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 5, and slides upon the plate in such position, and is thus held disengaged from teeth I until it again reaches recess P, when its springs fwill act to bring the arm to a right-angle position from wheel d, causing it to enter recess 1 and there engage a tooth J and carry it across the recess, bringing another tooth into the recess entrance, when the arm will again engage plate P and be held from teeth J until another circuit made. 13y reason of the arm being of like construction on each side and the similar position and action of springs ff wheel (1 is moved by said arm in either direction, both when registering by a forward movement and when. permitting the spring S to return the parts to their original point of starting.

ll represents a spring-foot secured to the pedestal below and bearing against the periphery 0t index-wheel ct, and acts as a frie tion-brake to prevent the wheel moving when not engaged by arm I. (J is the case for inclosing said described mechanism, and is socured to the pedestal at the sides by means of the screws n arranged through corresponding holes of the case and turned into screwthreaded holes of the cars a of the pedestal, as shown. Respectiv l y over each indexwheel and also at the side of each said wheel are the openings a, a, ct, and a through the case for the purpose of; reading the indexnumbers.

S is a slot in the case, arranged parallel with the meeting faces of the measuring-rolls R R, for the purpose of entering the margin of the cloth to and between the rolls.

e is a cutter-post arranged in a vertical cor responding chamber in one corner of the case over slot S, and is provided with a cuttingedge at its lower end and the button or knob h at its upper end and is yieldingly held supported so its cutting-blade will be wholly within the case above slot S by means of the coil-spring y under knob h, and is permitted a limit-ed vertical movement and prevented from rotating by means of the screw on, turned into it through slot m of the case.

6 is a block fixed. in the case below the blade of post- 6 for the blade to engage. The purpose of the blade and block is that when a certain quantity of cloth has been meas ured and it is desired to separate such quantity from the bolt the knob h is pressed down, causing the blade to engage and cut the cloth, and as the cloth is pulled from the machine such cut will be continued to the margin of the cloth, and thus start to cut the cloth at the end of the measurement.

In use the machine is secured to a store counter or some convenient place where it may be observed to read the index-numbers by both the purchaser and salesman, so that each may see the number of yards measured IIO and registered by the machine. The roll R, which drives the index mechanism, is made three inches in circumference. Hence when rotated once three inches of cloth will have passed between them, (the rolls.) Indexwheel (Z is divided into twelve sections, both on its periphery and side adjacent the caseopenings of and a each section indicating three inches, which are correspondingly numbered, and the gears G, G, and G are of such proportions as to rotate wheel (1 onetwelfth way around at each rotation of roll R and once around when said roll has rotated twelve times around, thus indicating thirty-six inches, and when wheel at has made one complete circuit its attached arm will have engaged a tooth J of wheel at and rotated one section, thus indicating and registering one yard. Fractions of a yard are registered and read'from wheel (I. As the measuring advances spring S winds upon shaft '1, and also the spring-latch o is acting upon the ratchets t of wheel d to catch and hold each registration. When each separate measurement is made and before another is commenced, the button of latch 12 is pressed, thus releasing wheel 01 and permitting spring S to unwind and return theparts to their point of beginning.

As a means of preventing the rolls R R slipping when brought into action by the cloth, they are provided with rubber facing D, as shown in Fig. 7, and as a means of preventing the indeX-wheeld' from moving in either direction too far it is provided on its side adjacent spring S with a stud or pin Z, which engages a portion of said spring as a stop, as shown in Fig. 3.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as newand useful, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

1. The combination, with the pedestal A, the columns 13 B thereof, and the case 0, having the openings Ct, a, a and a and the slot S, of the rolls RR and their respective shafts, the gears G, G, and G the shaft T, the indeX-wheel 01, provided with the gear-teeth G and ratchet-teeth t and the yielding arm P, the index-wheel cl, sleeved upon shaft T and provided with the teeth J, the shielding-plate P, the spiral spring S, and the spring-latch 43, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination, in the machine described, with the measuring-rolls, the index mechanism, and the case 0, of the spring S, the spring-latch 'U, and the ratchet-teeth t of the index-wheel cl, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The cloth-measu ring machine described, consisting of the combination, with the base or pedestal A, the columns B and B the post Land the case 0, of the measuring-rolls R R, the index-wheels cl and d, provided with the index-numbers on the periphery and side, as set forth, and the mechanism for actuating said index mechanism, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

MARSHALL NEY JONES.

Witnesses:

M. H. BERT, D. W. NoILL. 

